Identification insert for textile carrier



w. D. FLETCHER 3,425,149

IDENTIFICATION INSERT FOR TEXTILE CARRIER I Feb. 4, 1969 Filed Aug. 7, 1967 INVENTOR WADE D. FLETCHER ATTORNEY United States Patent O 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An identification insert for a textile carrier which is made up of a plurality of complementary arcuate segments which are connected together to make an annular insert. The insert is snap-fitted into an opening in the top end of the carrier. The segments are of selected colors to identify the textile material on the carrier.

This invention relates to textile carriers and more particularly to a yarn identification device for use on a textile carrier.

Textile strand material such as yarn is generally wound on a support or holder generally referred to as a textile carrier. Such carriers with yarn wound thereon form a yarn package and are provided in a wide variety of shapes such as tubes, cones and the like. The types of yarns produced today are virtually unlimited as a result of the great variety of yarn sizes, materials, etc., currently ava lable. Consequently, the common practice in the textile industry is to utilize an identification device on such carriers for identifying the type of yarn wound on the carrier. Such yarn identifying means generally incorporate the use of color and, by way of example, textile carriers such as cones have their small end or tip coated with a suitably colored lacquer, paint or the like. Textile carriers and in particular cones in use today are generally formed from paper so that such lacquer tipping may be readily carried out for such yarn identification. However, the use of plastic for forming such carriers and, in particular, cones is constantly increasing and carriers such as cones are generally formed by molding or the like in one piece from any suitable plastic material. However, such plastic cones do not lend themselves readily to the use of lacquer tipping for color identification and furthermore such lacquer tipping is an operation which adds to the cost of the cone. The high production rates and low cost plastic material available today coupled with the durability of such plastic cones is adding materially to the market acceptance of such plastic cones particularly since the paper cone is primarily a one-time use article. However, there is still the need for suitable color identification means for identifying the yarn wound on such plastic carriers.

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention is to provide a new and novel yarn identification device for a textile carrier.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and novel colored yarn identification insert for a textile carrier such as a plastic one.

A further object of this invention is to provide a new and novel colored yarn identification insert for a plastic carrier such as a cone which is low in cost, which is of durable construction so as to permit repeated use even beyond the life of the carrier, and which may be formed of readily available plastic material by any well-known plastic molding operation.

This invention further contemplates the provision of a molded plastic identification insert for a plastic carrier such as a cone which may be readily inserted into and removed from the cone in a simple and easy manner and Patented Feb. 4, 1969 which may be assembled in a simple and easy manner from selectively colored component parts to provide an unusually high number of color combinations in accordance with the wide variety of yarns produced today.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

The objects stated above and other related objects in this invention are accomplished by the provision of a plurality of complementary arcuate segments each representing an arc of a circle and arranged to be associated with a textile carrier having an opening in one end. Means are provided on the ends of each of the arcuate segments for detachably interconnecting the complementary segments into an annular shape to form an identification insert. Means are provided on the segments for positioning the insert in snap-fitting engagement with the end opening in the textile carrier and each of the segments is of a selected color to provide a color coded insert for identifying the type of yarn wound on the carrier.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation view, partially in section, of a textile carrier together with an identification insert constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional View taken substantially along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 in the direction of the arrows; and

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawing and to FIGURE 1 in particular, there is shown a textile carrier designated generally by the numeral 11 which, in the illustrated embodiment, is of conical shape. Although the cone 11 may be formed from any suitable material, it is preferably formed from a synthetic resinous material such as polyethylene, polypropylene and the like by any Well-known molding process. As is well known, the cone 11 has an outer surface 12 on which is wound textile strand material such as yarn or the like to form a yarn package. The cone 11 includes a bottom end or base 13 and a top end or tip 14 having an opening 16. The cone 11 also has a side wall 17 defining an interior 18.

As specifically illustrative of the invention, there is associated with the cone 11 an identification insert designated generally by the numeral 19 for color identification of the yarn wound on the cone surface 12. As shown best in FIGURE 2, the insert 19 includes a plurality of complementary arcuate segments 21, 22, 23. Although any number of such segments may be provided, in the preferred embodiment, three of such segments are employed to form the insert 19. Each of the complementary segments 21-23 represents an arc of a circle and, in the illustrated embodiment, each of the segments 21-23 are therefore substantially identical in shape and extend angularly for approximately degrees.

Means are provided on the ends of each of the segments 21-23 for deachably interconnecting the segments into an annular shape as shown in FIGURE 2 to form the insert 19. More specifically, each of the segments 21-23 is provided with an ear 21a, 22a, and 23a respectively at one end. At the other end of each of the segments 21-23, sockets 21b, 22b, and 23b respectively are provided which are shaped correspondingly to the ears 21a, 22a, 23a respectively for detachably receiving the ears in the assembled condition of the segments 21-23 as shown in FIGURE 2.

The segments 21-23 forming the insert 19 are preferably formed of a synthetic resinous material such as polypropylene, polyethylene or the like similar to the material from which the cone 11 is formed and may be molded by any well-known pastic molding technique. Each of the segments 21-23 is colored by pigmentation or the like with a selected color so as to provide a color coded insert for identifying the type of yarn wound on the cone 11. Thus, all of the segments 21-23 may be formed of the same color or any two-color or three-color combination may be used to therefore provide a multi-colored insert 19 in accordance with the yarn color coding system employed.

Means are provided on the segment 2123 for positioning the insert in snap-fitting engagement with the end opening 16 in the cone 11. In the illustrated embodiments, each of the outer side walls 210, 22c, 230 of the segments 21-23 is provided with a groove 31, 32, 33 respectively which extends throughout the length of each of the segments. In the assembled condition of the segments 21-23 to form the insert 19, the grooves 3133 register in endwise alignment to form a continuous peripheral groove G on the insert as shown best in FIGURE 1. As shown in FIGURE 1, the groove G on the insert 19 is therefore positioned intermediate top and bottom annular portions 34, 36 on the insert 19.

An annular flange 37 is formed at the upper end or tip 14 of the cone 11 preferably integrally with the cone side wall 17. The flange 37 extends radially inward to define the end opening 16 as shown. Thus, the insert 19 may be inserted within the cone end opening in snap-fitting engagement with the flange 37 which is received within the insert groove G as shown. Due to the flexible nature of the plastic material from which the insert 19 and flange 37 is formed, the insertion and withdrawal of the insert 19 may be easily accomplished and, at the same time, the insert 19 is securely held within the cone tip 14 for color identification of the yarn wound on the cone surface 12.

It can be seen that there has been provided with the novel construction of the invention an identification insert for a textile carrier and, in particular, a textile cone of plastic material by means of which a wide variety of yarns may be readily identified by color. An outstanding feature of the identification insert of the invention is the use of a plurality of segments from which it is formed so that each segment may be of a selected color permitting a large number of color combinations to be employed to increase the number of yarn types which can be identified. The interconnection of the segments forming the insert of the invention as well as the insertion and withdrawal of the insert on the end of the plastic cone may be readily accomplished. Furthermore the plastic from which the insert is molded by conventional techniques may be extremely durable permitting prolonged use of the insert without deterioration. The use of the snap-fitted insert of the invention permits the insert to be readily adapted to any type of plastic cone thereby eliminating presentday expensive and time-consuming lacquer tipping techniques and the like.

While there has been described what at present is considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention and, therefore, it is the aim of the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. An identification insert for a textile carrier having an opening in one end comprising, in combination, a plurality of complemetary arcuate segments each representing an arc of a circle, means on the ends of each of said segments for detachably interconnecting said complementary segments into an annular shape to form said insert, means on said segments for positioning said insert in snap-fitting engagemet with said textile carrier end opening, each of said segments being of a selected color to provide a color coded insert for identifying the type of yarn wound on said carrier.

2. An identification insert in accordance with claim 1 wherein each of said segments is of substantially identical shape.

3. An identification insert in accordance with claim 1 wherein said insert includes three of said segments and wherein the arcuate shape of each of said segments is approximately degrees.

4. An identification insert in accordance with claim 1 wherein said interconnecting means include an ear on one end of each of said segments and a correspondingly shaped socket on the other end of each of said segments for detachably receiving the car on the adjacent segment of said insert.

5. An identification insert in accordance With claim 1 including a flange on said carrier one end, said flange being directed radially inward to define said end opening and wherein said positioning means include a groove in the outer side wall of each of said segments, said grooves being arranged in endwise alignment in the interconnected condition of said segments to form a continuous peripheral groove on said insert for receiving said flange in snapfitting engagement therewith.

6. An identification insert in accordance with claim 5 wherein said carrier is of conical shape having a tip and wherein said end opening is located centrally within said carrier tip.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,858,410 5/1932 Morey 40309 WILLIAM H. GRIEB, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 

